Best-selling author provides tips in 'Town Hall for Hope'

Saturday

Johnstown's New Covenant Community Church was one of 6,000 locations across America that hosted Dave Ramsey's free "Town Hall for Hope" on Thursday evening.

Johnstown's New Covenant Community Church was one of 6,000 locations across America that hosted Dave Ramsey's free "Town Hall for Hope" on Thursday evening.

Ramsey, a popular national radio personality and best-selling author of "The Total Money Makeover," was broadcast via a live feed from Oklahoma City Campus of Life Church across the Internet to a projector at New Covenant.

The 48-year-old Ramsey gave three specific suggestions to people who are struggling to find hope in a challenging economy.

"The first step, if you're struggling with hope, is to get up, take action and start moving," he said. "Activity in your body releases endorphins and you sweat. The best chance at success is you. The President isn't going to fix your life."

Secondly, he advised, don't surround yourself with negative people.

"Don't participate in loser talk," Ramsey said. "If you hang out with losers, you're going to be one. The average millionaire can't tell you who got thrown off the island."

Thirdly, Ramsey said, America needs to learn to give again.

"America is the best giving nation in the history of the world," he said. "If you're broke, go serve food to the homeless. When you give, you take your eyes off yourself and you always have more hope."

Ramsey said America had unprecedented prosperity for the last three decades.

Today, he said, people are hurt and scared because their ideas about money and life have been tested.

"We need to reintroduce the word 'no,'" Ramsey said. "It will set you free. Say 'no' to buying a house if you're broke. …We need to go back to taking personal responsibility. Learn your lesson and keep going."

Ramsey took questions via phone, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. One man asked if this is our generation's Great Depression.

"This is no where near the Great Depression," Ramsey said. "The unemployment rate was 25 percent and there were real bread lines. The stock market lost 90 percent of value. We've lost 57 percent."

Ramsey anticipates housing to lead the United States out of the current recession due to low interest rates.

"We're at a 50 year low," he said. "There are houses on sale everywhere. It's absolutely the best time to buy a house. It's the best time in 30 years to buy a house, but don't buy if you're broke."

Another audience member asked if it's a good time to buy gold.

"Gold is very volatile," Ramsey said. "Gold hasn't been used as a medium of exchange since the Roman Empire. Gold won't be the medium of a failed economy."

Following the broadcast, Johnstown resident Debbie Lowe said she found the meeting very hopeful.

With her husband being the families sole source of income, she does have some fears, she said.

Johnstown resident Bruce Piper coordinates Financial Peace University at Discovery Church in Newark. The 13-week a course, developed by Ramsey, teaches responsible money management through commitment and accountability.

"I thought tonight was quite awesome," he said. "This is a different perspective from what you hear in the mainstream, people need to hear that while there are things in part of the economy that are bad. We don't hear about the good and the 92 percent who are working."

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